Door lock, especially for motor vehicles

ABSTRACT

A rotary latch ( 11 ) of a door lock is retained in a detent position by a spring-mounted retainer ( 20 ). A motor-driven working member ( 47 ) is provided for lifting said retainer ( 20 ). An energy-storing device ( 30 ) subjects a storing member ( 22 ) to a force and hereby serves to lift the retainer ( 20 ) out of its detent position in the rotary latch ( 11 ). To this end, the storing member ( 22 ) has a control surface against which the working member ( 47 ) travels in a first motor phase in order to load the energy-storing device ( 30 ). A counter-control surface ( 29 ) against which the working member ( 47 ) travels when lifting the retainer ( 20 ) in a staggered second motor phase is also provided. The aim of the invention is to provide a reliable door lock which will also function in the event of an accident. To this end, both the control surface ( 23 ) and the counter-control surface ( 29 ) are located on the storing member ( 22 ). The additional force required for lifting the retainer ( 20 ) acts on said retainer indirectly through the storing member ( 22 ). As a result, the quantities of energy produced one after the other in the two motor drive phases can be transmitted spontaneously from the shoulder ( 32 ) of the storing member ( 22 ) to the counter-shoulder ( 33 ) of the retainer ( 20 ).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to a door lock wherein the rotary latch receivesin its one rotary end position, i.e., its locking position, a lockingmember which drops into a main catch and locks the retainer against itsspring-load. In order to transfer the rotary latch into its openposition, the retainer is released. For releasing the retainer, amotor-driven working member is used. The motor is activated, in the caseof authorized access of the user, when, for example, an actuatorbelonging to the door lock is directly or indirectly actuated.

2. Discussion of Related Art

In a known door lock of this kind (DE 197 25 416 C1) a force storagedevice loads the arm of a storing member which is supported on themotor-driven working member and thus defines the charged state of theforce storage device. This storing member has a shoulder which, for thepurpose of lifting the retainer, impacts against a counter shoulder onan arm of the retainer in order to lift, in the normal situation as wellas in a special situation, for example, in a crash, the retainer fromits locking position in the rotary latch by releasing the force storagedevice. In this connection, the storing member has a control surface onwhich the motor-driven working member is supported. The retainer has along arm in whose end area a counter control surface is provided againstwhich the working member moves in a second phase, which is time-delayedrelative to the first motor drive phase, during lifting of the retainerout of the rotary latch.

This door lock has proven to be successful because in the specialsituation the energy amounts of the motor applied successively in thefirst and second motor drive phases are transferred simultaneously bythe shoulder onto the counter shoulder; however,manufacturing-technological and operating-related disadvantages result.The arm provided on the retainer must have a great length because of thecounter control surface so that the center of gravity of the retainer isspaced at a great distance relative to its fulcrum. This requirescomplex manufacturing methods. Safety regulations require that the doorlock in a crash situation must withstand high inertia forces, forexample, inertia forces which reach 30 times the acceleration due togravity. In order to avoid an automatic opening of the door lock, therestoring springs of such a known lock would have to be very strong.This had the result that the required actuating forces for lifting theretainer out of the rotary latch were high. The opening action of theknown door lock was therefore stiff.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention has the object to develop a door lock of theaforementioned kind which avoids the aforementioned disadvantages. Thisis achieved according to the invention in that not only the controlsurface but also the counter control surface is provided on the storingmember, in that in the special situation the required additional motorforce for lifting the retainer is indirectly transmitted via the storingmember onto the retainer, and in that, by doing so, the energy amountssuccessively applied in the two motor drive phases are then transmittedsimultaneously from the shoulder of the storing member onto the countershoulder of the retainer.

According to the invention, the control surface as well as the countercontrol surface are provided on the storing lever. Accordingly, the armon the retainer, which is to receive during release of the force storagedevice the released lifting force for the retainer, can be very short.Thus, the center of gravity of the retainer is very close to itsfulcrum. The motor-generated lifting energy required in the specialsituation for lifting the retainer is also transferred from the workingmember onto the storing member. The energy amounts which aresuccessively exerted in the two motor drive phases are transferred aftera crash via the same locations, i.e., always from the shoulder of thestoring member onto the counter shoulder of the retainer. Theselocations can also be very close to the fulcrum of the retainer. Therestoring spring acting onto the retainer can be of a weaker designwhich makes possible an easy opening action.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further measures and advantages of the invention result from thedependent claims, the following description, and the drawings. In thedrawing, the invention is illustrated by means of one embodiment. It isshown in:

FIG. 1 the plan view onto the important components of the door lockaccording to the invention when the retainer is locked in the rotarylatch and locks the rotary latch in its locking position;

FIGS. 2 and 3 the same door lock in two further positions of thecomponents, which positions result in the normal situation. when in anopen position (FIG. 2) of the lock and (FIG. 3) again upon a return intothe locking position;

FIGS. 4 and 5 the conditions in a special situation where lifting of theretainer is made possible only with a common effort by the force storagedevice as well as a motor.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the initial situation in which a rotary latch 11 is lockedby a locking arm 21 of a retainer 20 in its locking position. Theretainer 20 is loaded in the direction of force arrow 28 by a restoringspring 24. Accordingly, in the illustrated situation the locking arm 21is secured in the main catch 17 of the rotary latch 11. The rotary latch11 can also have a pre-latch 16 which engages in a corresponding way theretainer 20. The rotary latch 11 has a receptacle 14 for the lockingmember 10 which in this embodiment is embodied only as a bolt. Theretainer 20 has a fixed fulcrum 15 while the rotary latch 11 is seatedon a bearing pin 13. The rotary latch 11 is itself loaded in thedirection of arrow 12 by a restoring spring 18 which has the tendency totransfer the rotary latch 11 into an open position illustrated in FIG.2.

The door lock comprises also a member 22 which is loaded in thedirection of arrow 25 by a force storage device 30 and is thereforereferred to as “storing member”. This storing member 22 could be aslide. In the present case the storing member is comprised of a lever 22which is supported pivotably on the same fulcrum 15 as the retainer 20.This member 22 in the following will always be referred to as “storinglever”; however, it is understood that it is also possible that a membermovable in a different way could be loaded by the force storage device30. The storing lever 22 has the tendency, corresponding to the springforce 25, to attempt to reach a pivot position which is illustrated inFIG. 2 or 3. In the initial position of FIG. 1, the storing lever 22however is prevented from doing so because it is supported by a controlsurface 23 provided thereat on a working member 47 which is driven, forexample, by an electric motor 40.

The working member is formed as a cam which has a special contourprofile 45 and is arranged at a spacing to a rotary axis 46 about whichit is rotatably movable by means of a motor 40 and a transmission in thedirection of arrow 27. This cam 47 secures the storing lever 22 in theinitial position of FIG. 1 in a rotary position securing the fullycharged state of the force storage device 30. The auxiliary line 22.1 ofFIG. 1 defines the resulting rotary position which results by the actionof the now active profile location 31 on the contour 45 of the cam. Thisprofile location 31 should have the maximum radial distance from therotary axis 46 of the cam. In the locking position of FIG. 1 the door isclosed. In order to open it, an exterior and/or interior actuator, notshown, must be actuated or a signal receiving location must be triggeredby a remote control. This can be realized mechanically or, as in thepresent case, electrically. These actuators or signal receivinglocations are connected with control means which comprise two sensorsand a logic control circuit. One sensor engages the rotary latch, forexample, at the location identified with 51, while the other sensormonitors the angular position of the rotary latch 11 and is positioned,for example, at the location 22 in FIG. 1. When the motor 40 is suppliedwith current, a rotary movement of the control cam 47 in the directionof arrow 27 of FIG. 1 is caused. The storing lever 22 is released moreand more because the cam glides along the control surface 23 andprovides support with different further profile locations of its contourprofile 45. Profile locations of the contour profile that are radiallycloser to the rotary axis 46 of the cam provide support. The forcestorage device 30 is discharged more and more.

The storing lever 22 has a shoulder 32 which has correlated therewith acounter control surface 33 on a control arm 26 belonging to the retainer20. The spring force 25 which is released during discharging of theforce storage device 30 forces the storing lever 22 with its shoulder 32against the counter shoulder 33 on the retainer 20 and lifts it out ofthe main catch 17 of the rotary latch 11. Subsequently, the rotary latch11 can then be released under the effect of the restoring force 12acting on it into the open position illustrated in FIG. 2. The. rotarylatch 11 has now been pivoted from the locking position illustrated hereby a dash-dotted line into the open position, shown in a solid line,about an angle 19. The locking member has been moved out of thereceptacle 14 of the rotary latch 11 and has reached its releaseposition 10′ illustrated in a solid line in FIG. 2. The aforementionedcounter shoulder 33 on the retainer 20 can be reinforced by an insert ofhardened material.

The storing lever 22 has a counter control surface 29 in addition to thecontrol surface 23. This is realized in that the control lever 22 in itsend area 34 has a cutout 35 which provides a division into two legs 36,37. Even though this is not necessary, the two leg ends are connected toone another by a stay 38 so that the cutout 35 has the appearance of an“eye”. The eye 35 has an elongate kidney-shaped profile. The edges ofthe eye 35 facing one another in the rotary direction 27 form togetherwith a cam 47 the control and counter control surfaces 23, 29.

FIG. 2 shows the normal situation where the rotation 27 of the controlcam 47 has already ended before the control cam has reached the countercontrol surface 29. Now the motor stops the rotation in the rotarydirection 27. In FIG. 2, the lifted locking arm 21 of the retainer 20 issupported on a support surface of the rotary latch 11 provided for thispurpose. The retainer 20 is maintained in a ready position. The cam 47is supported with a second profile location 39 in another area of thecontrol surface 23. The auxiliary line 22.2 defines at the same locationas in FIG. 1 the open position of the latch 11. In comparison to FIG. 1,the cam 47 has been rotated by an angular range 41 in the rotarydirection 27 in this normal situation. This movement has been realizedonly by discharge of the force storage device 30.

In the crash situation, however, or in other disturbance situations, theconditions illustrated in FIG. 4 can occur. The retainer locking arm 21is seated so fast in the main catch 17 of the rotary latch 11 that thespring force 25 exerted by the force storage device 30 is not yetsufficient for releasing the retainer 20. This is recognized by theaforementioned sensors at 51, 52. The motor 40 then turns past therotary position illustrated in FIG. 2 in the direction of arrow 27 andreaches first the intermediate position illustrated in FIG. 4 where thecam 47 just barely contacts the counter control surface 29 with a thirdprofile location 42. During this contact this profile location is veryclose to the rotary axis 46. The cam 47 has left the control surface 23and is in the intermediate rotary position illustrated by the auxiliaryline 22.4. In FIG. 4, the cam 47 has not yet entirely completed theangle 41 illustrated in FIG. 2 but has passed only through the partialangle 43. During this movement, the energy stored within the forcestorage device 80 has been utilized; however, it is not sufficient, asmentioned above, to lift the retainer 20 in a crash situation.

The motor 40 further rotates in the direction of arrow 27 so that thecam 47 on its further path with changing profile locations in the eye 35glides along changing areas of the counter control surface 29. Finally,the position illustrated in FIG. 5 is reached where the control cam 27has reached a rotary end position which is illustrated by the auxiliaryline 22.5. Along the travel path between FIGS. 4 and 5, an angular range44 results where the cam 47 is driven directly by the motor 40. Duringthis residual rotation the spring force of the force storage device 30is added to the driving force of the motor 20. This is sufficient inorder to release the retainer locking arm 21, as shown in FIG. 5, fromthe main catch 17 of the rotary latch 11. It then reached under theeffect of the restoring force 12 its rotary stop, as already mentionedin connection with FIG. 2. The closure part is then in its releaseposition 10′.

After lifting of the retainer 20 in a disturbance situation according toFIG. 5 or in the normal situation according to FIG. 2, the cam 47 couldmove farther in the interior of the eye 35 in the same rotary direction27 up to the initial position of FIG. 1; however, in this embodiment themotor 40 is stopped by the aforementioned logic control circuit which isagain detected by the sensors, for example, at 51, 52. Then the motor 40changes its direction of rotation in the direction of counter rotationarrow 48. For this purpose it is sufficient to supply the motor 40 withreverse current. The cam 47 impacts during this return rotation 48 onthe control surface 23 positioned oppositely within the eye or thecutout 35 and moves the control or storing lever 22 again into theinitial position illustrated in FIG. 1.

During this return movement 48, the cam 47 reaches the intermediateposition illustrated in FIG. 3, which is marked therein by thecorresponding auxiliary line 22.3, wherein a fourth profile location 49of the cam contour for the first time comes into contact with thecontrol surface 23. Upon further return rotation 48 the storing lever 22is moved counter to the spring force 25 so that the force storage device30 is again recharged. Recharging of the force storage device 30 isrealized within the angular range identified in FIG. 3 by 50. Thecharging at 50 is thus carried out in a different motor drive phase thanthe discharge of the force storage device 30. The latter in the normalsituation is illustrated by the angular range 41 in FIG. 2. The forceswhich in both motor drive phases at 41, on the one hand, and at 50, onthe other hand, are successively applied are transferred between the twocomponents 20, 22 in a disturbance situation by means of the samecontact locations, i.e., the shoulder 32 and the counter shoulder 33.The storing lever 22 serves as an opening aid for lifting the retainerin the normal situation as well as in the disturbance situation.

As has been mentioned already, according to the invention a unitaryconfiguration of the control surface 23 with the counter control surface29 is present. Both are located on the storing lever 22. The contour 45of the control cam is drop-shaped wherein its profile can be of anasymmetric configuration at the radially outer side in comparison to theoppositely positioned inner cam side relative to the rotary cam axis 46.The corresponding edge contours of the surfaces 23, 29 are profiled witha corresponding counter profile. Because the retainer 20 has only ashort control arm 26 which must not support a large counter surface 29,its center of gravity is very close to its fulcrum 15. Inertia forceswhich results in a crash situation are therefore minimal. It is nolonger possible that an undesirable automatic lifting of the retainer 20could occur. Accordingly, without further measures a safety range up tomore than 30 times the acceleration of the fall is achieved. This shortconfiguration results because the counter control surface 29 no longerbelongs to the retainer. For this reason, the restoring spring 24 of theretainer illustrated in FIG. 1 can be of a weaker configuration. This,in turn, has the result that the required actuation forces for liftingthe locking retainer 20 out of the rotary latch 11 become lower. Openingis thus made easier.

List of Reference Numerals: 10 locking member 10′ release position of 1011 rotary latch 12 arrow of restoring force of 11 13 bearing pin of 1114 receptacle in 11 for 10 15 fulcrum for 20 16 pre-catch of 11 17 maincatch of 11 18 restoring spring for 11 19 pivot angle of 11 (FIG. 2) 20retainer 21 locking arm of 20 21.1 auxiliary line for 47 in the lockingposition (normal situation) 21.2 auxiliary line for 47 in the openposition (normal situation) 21.3 auxiliary line for 47 at the beginningof charging (normal situation) 21.4 auxiliary line for 47 in anintermediate rotary position (in a crash situation) 21.5 auxiliary linefor 47 in final rotary position (in a crash situation) 22 storingmember, storing lever 23 control surface on 22 24 restoring spring for20 25 arrow of spring force on 30 26 control arm of 20 27 arrow ofrotary movement of 47 during releasing 28 arrow of spring load of 20 29counter control surface on 22 for 47 in the crash situation 30 storagedevice 31 first profile location of 47 32 shoulder on 22 33 countershoulder on 20 34 plane end area of 22 35 cutout in 22, eye 36 first legof 34 (FIG. 2) 37 second leg of 34 (FIG. 2) 38 connecting stay between36, 37 (FIG. 2) 39 second profile location of 47 40 motor, optionallywith transmission 41 angle area during discharge of 30 (FIG. 2) 42 thirdprofile location of 47 43 partial angle of discharge (FIG. 4) 44 anglearea for motor-driven opening in a crash situation (FIG. 5) 45 contourprofile of 47 46 rotary axis of 47 47 working member, cam 48 arrow ofcounter rotation of 47, return rotation (FIGS. 3, 5) 49 fourth profilelocation of 47 50 angle area for charging (FIG. 3) 51 engagementlocation of the first sensor at 11 52 engagement location of the secondsensor at 20

What is claimed is:
 1. A door lock for a door of a motor vehicle, thedoor lock comprising: a rotary latch (11) having a main catch (17); alocking member (10) configured to be introduced into the rotary latch(11) during closing of a door of a motor vehicle and to pivot the rotarylatch (11) from an open position into at least one locking position; aspring-loaded (28) retainer (20) configured to engage in one of the atleast one locking positions the main catch (17), wherein the retainer(20) has a counter shoulder (33); a working member (47) configured toindirectly lift the retainer (20); a motor (40) acting on the workingmember (47); a storing member (22) having a control surface (23) and acounter control surface (29); a force storage device (30) loading thestoring member (22), wherein the storing member (22) has a shoulder (32)configured to contact the counter shoulder (33) for lifting the retainer(20) away from the main catch (17) by discharging the force storagedevice (30); wherein the motor (40) has a first motor drive phase formoving the working member (47) in order to charge the force storagedevice (30); wherein the motor (40) has a second motor drive phase formoving the working member (47) against the counter control surface (29)during lifting of the retainer (20) out of the main catch (17), whereinthe second motor drive phase is time-delayed relative to the first motordrive phase; wherein, in a crash situation, forces of the motor (40)applied successively in the first and second motor drive phases ontostorage device are used for lifting the retainer (20); wherein, in adisturbance situation, an additionally required force of the motor forlifting the retainer (20) is indirectly transmitted via the storingmember (22) onto the retainer (20) so that the forces successivelyapplied in the first and second motor drive phases are transmittedsimultaneously from the shoulder (32) of the storing member (22) ontothe counter shoulder (33) of the retainer (20).
 2. The door lockaccording to claim 1, wherein the storing member is a storing lever (22)pivotably supported coaxially relative to the retainer (20), and whereinthe retainer (20) has an arm provided with the counter shoulder (33) andwherein the storing lever (22) has a second arm provided with thecontrol surface (23), wherein the arm of the retainer (20) is shorterthan the arm of the storing lever (22).
 3. The door lock according toclaim 2, wherein the storing lever (22) has a cutout (35) engaged by theworking member (47).
 4. The door lock according to 3, wherein the cutout(35) is located in a substantially planar area (34) of the storingmember or storing lever (22) and wherein oppositely positioned sides ofthe cutout (35) form the control surface (23) and the counter controlsurface (29) for the working member (47) positioned between the controlsurface and the counter control surface, wherein the working member isrotatable about an axis of rotation (46).
 5. The door lock according toclaim 4, wherein the storing lever (22) has at least one partial member(34) divided into two legs (36, 37) which enclose the cutout (35). 6.The door lock according to claim 5, wherein the two legs (36, 37) arenot connected to one another and impart a fork shape to the storinglever (22).
 7. The door lock according to claim 5, wherein the two legs(36, 37) are connected to one another by a stay (38) so that the cutouthas an elongate profile.
 8. The door lock according to claim 7, whereinthe cutout has an elongate oval shape and wherein oppositely positionededges of the oval shape, viewed in the pivoting direction of the storinglever, form the control surface (23) and the counter control surface(29).
 9. The door lock according to claim 8, wherein the working membercomprises a profiled elongate cam (47) and wherein the cam is radiallydisplaced relative to the axis of rotation (46).
 10. The door lockaccording to claim 9, wherein the cam (47) has a drop-shaped profile.11. The door lock according to claim 10, wherein the drop-shaped profileis asymmetric.
 12. The door lock according to claim 9, wherein the cam(47) has a cam profile matching a profile of the edges of the cutout(35) and, as a function of operational states of the door lock and arotary angle of the cam (47), contacts different profile locations (31,39, 42, 49), radially displaced relative to the axis of rotation (46),of the profile of the edges (23; 29) of the storing lever (22).
 13. Thedoor lock according to claim 3, wherein the working member (47) rotatesin the same direction during charging and discharging of the forcestorage device (30).
 14. The door lock according to claim 3, wherein theworking member during charging (50) of the force storage device (30) isrotationally driven in a rotational direction (48, 49) opposite to arotational direction during discharging of the force storage device (41)between profile edges of the cutout (35).
 15. The door lock according toclaim 1, further comprising control means for recognizing a position ofthe door, wherein the control means comprise sensors (51; 52) and alogic control circuit connected to the sensors.
 16. The door lockaccording to claim 15, wherein a first one of the sensors respondsdirectly or indirectly to a certain position of the rotary latch andwherein a second one of the sensors (51) responds to a position definedby the retainer (20) engaging the main catch (17) or a pre-catch (16) ofthe rotary latch (11).